Farewell
by MemoryThief
Summary: Liara must figure out how to deal with the death of the woman she loved. Can she do it, or will the death rip her to sheds? And all Aayla Shepard can do, is watch from above as her loved ones sob and mourn her very own death.


**So I have been thinking, about Shepard's death. Of course any good friends would have been incredibly sad, but for any romance (be it Liara or Ashley or Kaidan) it must have been heart crushing and terrible to go through. Thus, I was thinking of my FemShep Aayla Mel Shepard, and when she died. Well she was with Liara, head over heels from the start. Liara must have been utterly and horribly crushed when she knew her loved one was dead.**

**Well, this fic goes a bit deeper into Aayla's death, to show Liara's feelings, her thoughts with everything about the woman she truly loved.**

**Like always, please read and review. Love to hear the thoughts!**

**-x-x-x-**

Aayla Shepard gasped for air, her hand reaching out into the void of space and the vast stars surrounding her. She drifted closer and closer to Alchera as her body jerked, her nerves being ceased by spasms of pain and agony. Images flew through her mind like a vid on fast forward, the images of her life, of events and people. Of Mindoir and Akuze. Of her time hunting for Saren. Or her long time friends and her newer friends, but the last image, the last image to enter her mind was of her beloved Liara, the woman who meant everything to her now.

"Li...ara..." she managed. "I am...so...sorry...my love...farewell..." with those last words, her eyes slowly drifted shut, her breathing and heart beat slowed until it stopped completely. The woman people thought would almost never die, who could survive anything and everything, had finally taken her last breath.

**-x-x-x-**

Liara's eyes opened wide and her head snapped up out of her hands. Her name, she had heard her name, such a familiar voice too. Had it been Aayla's voice?

"Doctor T'Soni, is something wrong?" Tali asked, typing on her omni-tool. Liara blinked and shook her head as she stole a glance at the young quarian engineer.

"I am fine, just I am worried. Worried about Aayla. She told me to go, to save myself. But I...if something goes wrong, it's my fault. I abandoned her when she needed me!" Liara replied. In her mind she scolded herself for leaving. Even if it had been an order, why had she listened? There was a quiet beep as Ashley activated her comm unit.

"Skipper, it's Williams. Do you copy? I repeat, do you copy?" the soldier reported. The other line was silent, no reply. Minutes passed and the whole escape pod was silent, waiting for a reply, wanting to hear a reply, but getting nothing.

"She has to be alright, maybe she's just out of range. Yes, that has to be it." Liara shook her head again, hoping Shepard was okay, but was she really alright? Or was she...was she gone? Tears filled her eyes at the thought, they streamed down her face. "Aayla is fine, she is! Know she is, damn it." Tali placed a three fingered hand on the asari's shoulder and Liara looked at her friend with blue eyes full with concern and worry.

"Doctor...Liara...Calm down. I am sure Commander Shepard is fine." the quarian soothed. "Why don't you rest for a while? By the time you awake, I am sure you and she will be together, I am sure of it."

"Your right, Miss 'Zorah. Thank you. I will see her again, I swear it. And knowing her, I'll get a kiss and a hug, and she hold me in her arms like always." Liara curled up in her seat and closed her eyes, letting her mind drift to that night, the night before Ilos.

**-x-x-x-**

The escape pod door opened with a quiet hiss and Ashley was the first to step out. She was confronted by five Alliance officers. She gave a salute to the woman in front of the others.

"Gunnery chief Ashley Madeline Williams, SSV SR-1 Normandy crew." she paused. "Along with myself is Doctor Chakwas, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya and Doctor Liara T'Soni."

"I am Shoka Motosu. I am the XO of this ship, the _Athens._" the woman replied, waving a hand for Ashley to relax. "If your wondering about any other survivors of your crew, all but twenty one are accounted for." At that moment Liara walked up and leaned on the open door frame, tears still streaming her face.

"And Shepard? You did find her, right? She's okay?" she managed. Shoka shook her head.

"No, she's dead. We never found her body either. She's gone, nothing can be done. I am sorry, Doctor T'Soni." the XO apologized.

"No. No! She can not be gone! She can't be!" Liara dropped to her knees, sobbing. "She promised she would make it out alive, that she would stay with me! She said she would give the whole crew a well deserved shore leave and she even had something in plan for it. But now, she is gone! It's not fair!" it was suddenly silent other then the sound of weeping from the heartbroken asari who mourned for her the lost woman who she had loved more then anything else. Suddenly there was the sound of footsteps and Shoka spun around, instantly saluting.

"Sir!" she said. A tall man in uniform, he had short brown hair and grey eyes. He waved a gloved hand through the air.

"At ease." he said before moving next to Liara and putting a hand on her back. "Doctor T'Soni. I am the CO of the _Athens_, Tristan Kortelu." he paused. "I knew Commander Shepard. I knew her back on Mindoir when we both lived there when we were young. Aayla, she...she was one of my best friends. She was a wonderful woman, so strong and brave and intelligent. To me, she was a friend, to you, she was so much more, I know that. But even saying that, if she were here, she would not want to see you in such pain. I know she loved you, she really did. She would message me, and in one, she told me of big plans she had made if you had agreed. And what she told me, she amazed me with. Just know that she cared, that she loved. After she met you, she had a reason to live and fight. Because of you, she was more alive, more like herself and not the walking corpse she said she was." again he paused. "Now then, why don't you go rest, all of you. My XO can show you all to your rooms and you can rest. In a matter of two or three days, you shall be at the Citadel, Councilor Anderson said he wants to plan a funeral for her."

"I...okay. Yes, I will rest more. Thank you, Tristan Kortelu, thank you so much." Liara managed. Ashley and Tali helped her up and let the mourning asari lean on them for support. Tristan watched Shoka lead them all away.

"Do you really think Shepard is dead, sir?" a woman next to him asked. Tristan stole a glance at her then continued to watch the women leave.

"Miss Amy, I tell you this, I know Aayla Shepard, and I know her well. She doesn't let anything get in the way of her and her loved ones, the ones she cares for. And with Doctor T'Soni, she loved her more then anybody I can think of. Even if she really is dead, she'll be back. Nothing can get in her way, not even death itself." with that, it was silent as he walked off, hands held tense behind his back.


End file.
